Everything about the Florida sports betting landscape
This page offers a comprehensive guide to help the people of the Sunshine State navigate the sports betting landscape in the state. Here, you’ll learn about online and offline betting in the state and the best online sites where Florida residents can wager legally.
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How to recognise a great Florida betting site?
Whatever your online gambling preference is, we will have a legal sports betting site for you. We know residents in Florida want to bet on the Jacksonville Jaguars and many more NFL teams. In fact, we make sure these bookmakers have sports betting markets for professional sports teams from many leagues, such as the MLB, NHL, and NBA. Many of these bookies will even have their own sports betting apps because mobile betting is becoming more and more common.
Available to Florida Bettors
Lots of betting options on Florida teams
Provides how-to-videos
Bitcoin Bonus
Welcome bonus is average
Bovada knows the American market and offers an extensive number of sports betting odds. Floridians will find odds on all their favourite professional and collegiate teams.
Getting to know Bovada is a breeze with its slick interface and helpful how-to-videos.
Bovadaâs welcome bonus is topped by other online sportsbooks.
Read Bovada Review
Available to Florida Bettors
Bitcoin friendly
Great Bonuses
No poker room
BetNow offers a welcome bonus that matches 50 percent of your initial deposit.
The welcome bonus is worth up to $1,000.
BetNow focuses mainly on sports. This is great for those who aren’t too concerned with casino options.
Read BetNow Review
Available to Florida Bettors
Sports odds pop up early
Extra incentives for Bitcoin users
Dated design
BetOnline is a leader in posting odds before competitors. Also available on BetOnline: an odds archive â a handy research tool.
BetOnline offers good bonuses, with additional benefits for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency users.
Other sites have a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing user interface.
Read BetOnline Review
Available to Florida Bettors
Great bonuses and rewards
Accepts Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies
Minimum deposit to receive most bonuses is high
Bitcoin users rejoice, as MyBookie offers a welcome bonus that doubles your first five deposits.
Loyalty rewards program available at MyBookie.
Great selection of odds on North American sports.
Read MyBookie Review
If you are not looking for best betting sportsbooks in any particular states or for options across the US or worldwide, we recommend our page main page for the best list of sites for sports betting.
Florida retail sports betting relaunched in December 2023. Online sports betting is not yet legal.
The biggest casino in Florida features 3,300 slot machines, 12 poker tables, and bingo.
Florida is home to three major horse racing tracks that host graded races and other events throughout the year.
Retail sports betting in Florida first launched in 2021. However, a lawsuit filed by a gaming operator alleging that the state’s gaming compact with the Seminole tribe violated Florida’s constitution resulted in operations being shuddered. As of 2024, the litigation isn’t yet complete. On the bright side, though, on-site sports betting was allowed to relaunch at Seminole tribe-operated casinos in December 2023.
On the other hand, online sports betting in the state remains available and legalâprovided you take your business outside the country. Offshore sportsbooks are perfectly legal for sports gambling. To partake in sports betting, you must be at least 21 years old. We review the options available in Florida, so we can confidently recommend the websites listed on this page.
We always make sure that these sites have the sports betting markets most important to bettors in Florida. Whether you are a big fan of the Florida State Seminoles or more into the Miami Dolphins, you can rest assured that these FL sportsbooks will have your markets covered.
Three types of casinos are available in the state of Florida. Seminole run casinos, privately operated casinos, and offshore online casinos. You can also embark on certain cruises that feature slot machines and table games. The gambling age in Florida is 18 for poker and bingo and 21 for electronic gaming machines.
A war rages on between Tribal and private casinos, as the Seminoles believe private casinos are allowed to operate through a loophole in the law.
Online casinos exist peacefully and are legally available to join and use on the beach, at your home or just about anywhere you can access the internet. We have researched the best options available and only recommend online casinos that are safe, reliable, and fun.
Florida is rich with horse racing and offtrack betting options. Florida is home to two well-respected horse racing tracks â Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs â as well as plenty of smaller venues scattered throughout the state.
Floridians may also bet on horse racing using an online racebook. So, there’s no need to go to the racetrack. Online racebooks are a great option to use when the humidity is just too much and you do not want to leave the confines of your air-conditioned home.
Florida gambling laws come down from the state, which is the main body that regulates betting. This is the case for casinos, slots, and horse racing. For the most part, Florida gambling is exclusive to Native American Territories. You can also bet on horse racing there.
The Seminole Tribe is a key player in any negotiations that change gambling laws in the State of Florida. While gambling at retail locations is a bit more strict under Florida gambling law, bettors can always access online casinos. Many of these are based offshore but still cater without a problem to bettors in Florida.
Bettors in the state of Florida are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access their sports betting sites. This is a national trend that’s also taking shape in the Sunshine State as mobile sports betting becomes the norm.
And it is easy to see why. There are lots of advantages to using mobile sportsbooks. This is forming an increasingly important part of our review process, as well. In fact, we have a review process dedicated exclusively to finding the best betting apps.
Part of what makes mobile betting more popular is its sheer convenience. Florida bettors spend a lot of time on the go, enjoying the outdoors. These avid sports fans deserve to access the best Florida sports betting markets wherever they are.
That is by far not the only advantage to using mobile apps in Florida. Here are some of the main ones that keep bettors in the Sunshine State flocking to mobile sportsbooks.
How we review legal betting websites in Florida is rigorous. We try out bonuses and promotions. We time payouts and search for hidden fees. We dive deep into the odds available. Through this process, we can confidently list only the best Florida betting sites.
How we Stay Consistent in our Reviews
To remain consistent, we use a scoring system to grade many aspects of legal betting sites. This system helps us remain unbiased in our reviews.
We Do the Work, So You Can Relax
We put in the time, so you can enjoy yours. We only recommend the best betting sites available in Florida. Ones with odds on all your favorite teams.
This November, the UFC focus highlights BetUS as the top bookmaker, offering great promos for UFC 309. The event will see the return of American favorite Jon Jones, who will face Stipe Miocic. We look forward to the event on November 16th in New York.
Gambling is legal but restricted in Florida. Casinos may operate on Seminole Tribal land. These casinos offer card and tabletop games, as well as slots. As of December 2023, they have on-site sportsbooks. Private casinos (also called pari-mutuel casinos) operate and may offer pari-mutuel betting and slots.
Residents can also enjoy online betting sites, which is currently the only option to bet on sports in Florida.
Offline sports betting in the state is currently legal exclusively on Seminole tribal land. Though West Flagler Associates, a Florida gaming operator, is contesting this legality, on-site sports betting services remain live at Seminole casino locations for now. Meanwhile, sports betting is legal through offshore channels. As long as they are of minimum age, residents of Florida can sign up for an online sports betting website.
The minimum gambling age in Florida is 18 for poker, bingo, and pari-mutuel betting. The minimum age for sports betting and gaming machines is 21.
There are two ways to bet on sports in Florida: You can visit a Seminole tribe location or use their Florida sports betting app, or you can go through a sports betting website.
Using an online sportsbook does have advantages. The best legally available options are suitable for your computer or mobile device and provide great bonuses and fun betting odds.
Including two cruise ships that offer slots and tabletop games, 37 casinos operate in the state of Florida.
Casinos vary in what they offer. Some only provide pari-mutuel betting and slots, while the biggest ones have resorts and are minutes from the beach, loaded with shopping, restaurants, and additional fun.Â
One of the biggest casino in Florida is the Seminole Hard Rock and Hotel Casino Tampa. Packed with rock nâ roll memorabilia, this Tampa hotspot offers over 5,000 slot machines and 110 tables.
It is one of two Hard Rock casinos in the state â the other being the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood.
Seminole Hard Rock and Hotel Casino Tampa is located at 5223 Orient Rd, Tampa, Florida 33610.
The casino is slightly northeast of downtown Florida and a 45-minute drive to world-famous Clearwater Beach.
The best place to watch horse racing in Florida is Gulfstream Park. The biggest race is the Florida Derby. With a $1 million purse, this Grade I race is held five weeks before the Kentucky Derby.
Tampa Downs is also a respected racing track, located on the opposite side of the panhandle.
Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino is located at 901 Federal Hwy, Hallandale Beach, Florida 33009.
Just west of the A1A, visitors can hop in their car and easily drive down to Miami Beach.
The best sports betting sites legally available in Florida are the ones that blend great odds, bonuses and ease-of-use. Through our experience opening accounts and trying them firsthand, we can be certain the sites we recommend on this page are the best options for Florida sports bettors.
About the Author
Trent’s your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent’s got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
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